Why choose this specification?

GCSE Statistics 4310 provides students with a critical appreciation of statistics and its place in everyday life. It encourages students to develop enquiring minds and become effective and independent learners. With a focus on handling data and probability, students acquire skills in and understanding of statistical concepts and methods.

GCSE Statistics 4310 consists of two units, a controlled assessment and an exam at Foundation tier or Higher tier.

Teachers like:

that students get a real grounding in fundamental statistical techniques

the emphasis on how to use statistics in the real world

that students have time to concentrate on their project and prepare for the final exam

the focus on interpretation and inference which helps students appreciate the value and limitations of statistics in realistic contexts

the controlled assessment's innovative approach which is more manageable and flexible for teachers and students.

Students like:

getting involved and learning through engaging work

using their knowledge to understand how statistics works in everyday life and to understand their benefits and limitations

coming up with a hypothesis and investigating it, then analysing and presenting the results

acquiring skills that are relevant in a wide variety of other subjects such as the sciences, geography and social sciences

the application to vocational qualifications.

Knowledge/skills gained:

the basics of statistics

an understanding of statistics in everyday life

the ability to carry out enquiries confidently and skilfully

the ability to apply knowledge successfully in different contexts

data presentation and evidence-gathering skills.

Support:

access to AQA's All About Maths teaching and assessment resource website

enhanced results analysis (ERA)

Exampro to build exam papers

teacher training

assessment advisers available by telephone or email

24-hour support through our website and Ask AQA

email updates from our maths team.

Re-sits

A student wanting to improve their grade for a linear GCSE qualification will have to re-sit the entire qualification.

A student satisfied with their controlled assessment mark, will normally be able to re-use/carry it forward.

Overlap with other qualifications

Some topics from probability, measures of spread, measures of location and the data-handling cycle are included in GCSE Mathematics.

Private candidates

This specification is available to private candidates. For more information, please see our Private candidates page.

AQA needs to agree arrangements for the assessment and authentication of controlled assessment.

Follow-on study

Throughout the GCSE Statistics programme, students are encouraged to think about 'the bigger picture' of modern statistics logically and analytically. These fundamental statistical and lateral thinking skills are useful across all kinds of disciplines and careers.

GCSE Statistics could lead on to further study in Statistics at A-level or other related subjects such as Maths, Further Maths and the Social Sciences.